The Story of Lan
by Flashman
Summary: Ryu is dead. Ten years later, a young boy, connected with this tragedy, discovers that he will soon become the inheritor of an epic destiny.
1. Prologue: The Dragon, The Demon and the ...

STREET FIGHTER: THE STORY OF LAN  
A Street Fighter Fan fiction  
Written By: Christian "Flashman" Rogers  
Street Fighter and all related characters are Copyright Capcom Inc  
  
+ + +  
Prologue: The Dragon, The Demon, and the Cherry Blossom  
+ + +  
  
Ryu was getting old and he could not deny this. The familiar aches  
and pains of old injuries began acting up as he stared at his opponent,  
the both of them drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Ryu's left  
arm hung limply by his side, shoulder dislocated on the last exchange  
of blows.  
  
Akuma was old, but he didn't care. He too could feel the small spikes  
of pain that shot forth from wounds that had never properly healed.  
He leveled his piercing glare at Ryu, keeping his weight on his right  
foot, as his left leg threatened to give out from the punishment it  
had received over the course of the battle.  
  
Sakura felt old, though she was far from it. She had matured greatly  
since the days when she had first met both of the fighters dueling in  
front of her, which had been quite a few years ago. Now a young woman  
instead of a young girl, her eyes darted back and forth between the two  
exhausted fighters, bearing witness to their fight as had been requested  
of her.  
  
Silently, the two warriors began to circle each other, Ryu raising his  
one good arm into a defensive position as Akuma slid to the side, not  
able to fully hide the quiver of his body when he was forced to  
temporarily put weight on his left leg.  
  
"They've been fighting for two hours..." Sakura marveled to herself,  
"Is this going to be the final blow? C'mon Ryu... you HAVE to win  
now..."  
  
Around the bodies of Ryu and Akuma, energy in the form of small globes  
of light began to gather. It did not come from within their bodies,  
but from the ground and sky around them. For Ryu, the energy globes  
were a rich blue color and Sakura could feel the waves of peace and  
calm they generated, like a quiet forest grove, or a softly flowing  
stream.  
  
The energy Akuma summoned was different, the energy globes were blood  
red as they radiated a primal savagery, like a hurricane or tornado  
running wild.  
  
"Light and Dark Hadou..." Sakura whispered, "This is it..."  
  
Akuma growled savagely as he charged forward, the influx of energy  
and adrenaline allowing him to ignore his injury for the few moments  
needed to close the gap between him and Ryu. He pulled back his fist  
and threw all that he had into one final punch.  
  
Ryu responded in kind, his own fist flashing forward as the Hadou  
around him surged.  
  
For Sakura, the next few moments happened in flashes. A fluttering of  
the red headband Ryu wore. The clattering of Akuma's beads. The  
sound of Akuma's fist striking Ryu's chest, followed by the distinctive  
noise of many ribs snapping wetly. The sight of Ryu's fist striking  
Akuma's chest... and then coming out the back side.  
  
The two warriors stood there, both of their eyes widening in pain and  
realization. They looked at each other, Ryu's lips, a small trickle  
of blood pouring down them, rising upwards in a smile as Akuma's eyes  
dimmed, falling to the ground as Ryu pulled his fist away.  
  
Then Ryu fell as well.  
  
Sakura could not stop the cry of horror that escaped her as she raced  
down the hill, skidding to a halt next to Ryu and falling to her knees,  
tears streaming down her face as she watched the man she had admired,  
and even loved, slowly gasp his last, each breath bringing on a fit  
of bloody coughing, staining the white front of his gi as it dribbled  
downwards.  
  
"Akuma..." Ryu gasped out, looking up at the young woman who wept  
over him, "Is... he..."  
  
"You did it Ryu..." Sakura said as she looked over at the body of  
Akuma, blood continuing to pool around his still body, "You avenged  
your master."  
  
Ryu slowly raised his hand, placing it on the slight swelling that came  
from Sakura's lower abdomen. "Sorry..." he choked out.  
  
Sakura shook her head, trying to smile through her tears, "No... I  
accepted this as a possibility. I didn't want to... but I did."  
  
"Special..." Ryu said, eyes glassily staring off at the sky as his  
hands fumbled behind his head, undoing his headband and not having  
the strength to raise it up, "Can feel... the Perfect... Hadou..."  
  
He spasmed once, his entire body straining as he took one more deep  
breath. Then he was still, the breath exiting with total peacefulness  
as his face relaxed to a look of calm, his fist releasing it's hold  
on the headband.  
  
Sakura lowered her head, taking a moment to run her hand over Ryu's  
face, closing his eyes. She wiped at her eyes, not caring that they  
had been stained with Ryu's blood, thus coating her face as well.  
  
She stood, bowing slightly to the two combatants before moving off  
slowly. Akuma had chosen a barren island for the battle field, and  
Sakura knew, before she could bury the bodies, before she could leave  
this place behind, she had to prepare for the future.  
  
Reaching a cave, she wondered inside, seeing a small, extinguished camp  
fire, a small meditation mat and a group of five scrolls resting on  
top of a large rock. Taking the scrolls, Sakura opened them and nodded  
as she confirmed the contents.  
  
+ + +  
  
The graves had been simple things, just piles of dirt with crudely  
fashioned crosses sticking out of them. Sakura had a feeling that  
simplicity was what Ryu would have wanted. She patted the small bulge  
bellow her belly and sighed, "I'm sorry you won't know your father...  
but I'll do my best, I promise."  
  
She sighed again, looking at the red headband clutched in her hands.  
She would need to contact Ken, who would be able to contact all of  
Ryu's other friends. She knew Ryu would not have wanted a big  
production made of his death, but she could not see him objecting to a  
small gathering of mourning friends, remembering his victories over the  
likes of Sagat, M.Bison and Gill.  
  
Through it all though, there was something bothering her about his  
final words...  
  
What had he meant by "Perfect Hadou"?  
  
Ten years quickly slipped away following that day.  
  
+ + +  
Chapter 1: Awaken! Hadou!  
+ + +  
  
The sign outside the modest building read "KUSAGANO SCHOOL OF SHOTOKAN  
KARATE".  
  
Inside it was what it said it was, a karate dojo. Like most dojos one  
side had a wall of mirrors, for students to observe themselves as they  
practiced. A few minor tapestries containing pictures of waterfalls,  
bonsai trees and a setting sun hung from one of the side walls. Unlike  
most dojos, since Shotokan was a style devoted completely to the art of  
unarmed combat, there were no weapons, mock or real, anywhere. Near  
the back, there was a sandbag hanging from a chain, currently being  
attacked by a child.  
  
"HAI!"  
  
The cry of the young boy cut through the air, along with his foot,  
which slammed into the side of the sandbag.  
  
The child could not have been more than ten years old, the sandbag  
being much larger than him. However, his punches and kicks struck  
with an incredible amount of power. The bag formed momentary, deep  
dimples as it was hit, just barely molding back into place before a  
new assault was launched upon it.  
  
The boy was clad in a powder blue karate gi with the arms ripped off  
and a black belt tied around his waist. His hands were covered by  
brown, fingerless gloves and he wore no shoes. His deep brown eyes  
were furrowed in concentration, his head shaking a little to work the  
sweaty brown hair that fell to around his ears out of the way of his  
view as he made another charge.  
  
His offence was withering, his blows crushing into the bag again and  
again before he leaped upwards, extending his leg and spinning to  
strike the bag once, twice, three times as he rose upwards, the  
final blow being too much and breaking the chain, sending the bag  
flying into the far wall.  
  
"SENPUKYAKU!"  
  
The boy landed from his attack, wiping sweat off his brow as he took  
a deep breath. He stared at the crumpled sandbag with a small amount  
of satisfaction.  
  
He then jumped in the air as a female voice from upstairs shouted,  
"Lan Kasugano! Have you broken the sandbag again?!"  
  
He blushed slightly as he called out, "Yes, mother."  
  
There was the sound of footsteps coming from the floor above and then  
from the stairs that lead from the dojo to the private apartment  
upstairs. The woman who appeared there, while no longer quite so  
young, still had much of her vitality left. Her brown hair had grown  
out and down to past her shoulders, framing her face and sparkling  
brown eyes. Though she had never been able to fully lose the weight  
she had gained from giving birth (and her Achilles Heel addiction to  
Chocolate Goo Bars), she was still a fit figure dressed in blue jeans  
and a red t-shirt, all too representative of the beautiful "Cherry  
Blossom" that was her name sake.  
  
Sakura stared meaningfully at her son, hands resting on her hips as  
her weight shifted from one foot to the other. "You really need to  
be more careful," she chided, "It's not expensive to fix but if you  
keep doing it so much it'll never be there for the other students."  
  
"I'm sorry mother," Lan replied, bowing formally, "It won't happen  
again."  
  
Sakura smirked as she said, "Yes it will. You're just that good.  
Now get your little butt upstairs, wash up, get changed and have some  
breakfast. You've got school."  
  
"Yes, mother," Lan replied before he walked upstairs.  
  
Sakura watched him go and shook her head as she thought, "How does a  
little goof like me raise such a well-behaved child like him?"  
  
+ + +  
  
Lan always got bored at school. His uniform was too tight around the  
collar. He could never focus on the work or lectures without supreme  
concentration because of the view of the school gardens that was  
teasingly just outside of the window next to him. Ever since he'd  
been able to walk and had observed his mother practicing, all that had  
interested him had been training in Shotokan.  
  
He had a few friends, though they weren't really close and being with  
them couldn't equal the feeling he got when he mastered a new  
technique. The first time he had successfully performed a Shoryuken,  
at age seven, and after long months of training (involving a lot of  
time where he fell on his butt and back) he had felt an awakening  
within himself. THAT was what he was meant to do with his life. He  
knew it probably was rather strange for someone his age to be so  
interested in the martial arts, but he couldn't help that feeling of...  
rightness, that flowed through him whenever he practiced.  
  
He was jarred out of his thoughts as a ruler slammed down on his desk.  
He looked up at the scowling, gray haired teacher who met his gaze.  
"Mr. Kasugano," he said, "If my lessons are too boring, please let me  
know and I'll try to make sure they interest you personally."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hideo," Lan replied, bowing his head, "I'll concentrate  
harder."  
  
Hideo continued scowling as he walked back towards the front of the  
class. "Just like his mother," he thought, "Limitless potential, zero  
concentration on the here and now."  
  
Lan did try his best to concentrate, managing to focus for a few more  
minutes before his mind began to wander again. What caught his  
attention this time was the beauty of the flowers in the garden as the  
sunlight overhead shone down on them, lighting up the blossoms so that  
they almost glowed.  
  
He could not draw his gaze away from the scene. It was so peaceful  
looking, so calm, it was if he was doing more than just looking at it.  
It was like he was a part of it and if he tried hard enough, he could  
simply melt away into the blissful peace of nature.  
  
Hideo paused, feeling that familiar sensation of awareness that he got  
when he knew one of his students wasn't paying attention. He also had  
a pretty good idea which one it was as he turned back around, looking  
up at his target. "MR. KASU--" he stopped mid-yell at the sight before  
him.  
  
The boy was GLOWING. Literally.  
  
Small blue globes began to rise in the air around Lan, who didn't seem  
to notice as he continued to look at something out of the window.  
However, when one of the globes burst into a small crackle of energy  
that played over the skin of Lan's hand, he blinked rapidly and then  
turned his head to notice what was going on around him.  
  
"... What?!" the young boy thought. "What is this?! This... I feel..."  
  
The other students looked on wide-eyed, several of them backing away  
in fear, falling out of their chairs as the energy, once Lan noticed  
it, seemed to begin being absorbed into his body. Lan, for his part,  
grunted in surprise at the sudden influx of strength and energy that  
began to fill him...  
  
And then he bit back a scream as the energy quickly passed the  
threshold of empowering and reached painful. He worked his way to  
his feet unsteadily, the power continuing to flow into him as he began  
to walk, slowly placing one foot in front of the other towards the  
door. The other students moved out of his way, Hideo, still slightly  
amazed by the sight in front of him, yelling out, "Mr. Kasugano! Where  
are you going?!"  
  
"That... place..." Lan managed to force out between his gritted teeth,  
"Have to get outside... to it... have to..."  
  
Hideo opened his mouth to shout again, but couldn't find the words,  
unsure if he should stop the glowing boy, old age and married life  
taking away a good deal of his old skills. Finally, he lowered his  
head and let Lan stagger out the class room door.  
  
+ + +  
  
Lan had no trouble reaching outside. Everyone was too afraid of him  
to stand in his way. Lan, however, did not notice this, the pain  
from all this energy gathering within him blocking out everything in  
a sea of glowing blue. Each step into the garden drew grunts and  
groans of pain from his body.  
  
Finally, he raised his head and shouted, "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!  
This power... WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!"  
  
"It comes from the very earth itself."  
  
Lan blinked, certain he had heard his mother talking, focus temporarily  
returning as he tried to zero in on it's source. Sakura was nowhere  
in sight as she spoke again. "Lan," she said, "I'm communicating to  
you through the Hadou that is around you. Somehow, you've summoned  
it. You're using it."  
  
"H-Hadou?" Lan cried out, feeling the energy welling towards some kind  
of peak, "B-But... you never showed me that... I... I never even saw it  
when I saw you training in private... what do I do?!"  
  
"Lan! Concentrate!" Sakura admonished, "Focus that energy you feel  
within you. Draw it to your hands. Draw it all there and then push  
it away as an energy wave riding your fists."  
  
Lan closed his eyes, trying to regain focus, the pain incredibly  
overwhelming as he tried to picture himself in his minds eye, the  
globes of blue energy floating around chaotically until his will began  
to draw them towards his hands. He held his hands outward, the palms  
beginning to glow as the energy within began to radiate out.  
  
"An energy wave..." Lan whispered to himself, "riding... my...  
fists..."  
  
And then, his eyes snapped open, the energy crackling to full force as  
it erupted from him and shot off as a ball of light from his extended  
hands as he screamed.  
  
"RRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"  
  
The Hadoken rocketed into the air, pulsing with energy as it traveled  
upwards and finally sputtered out more than a good distance away.  
  
Lan collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, the sudden exertion  
leaving him feeling utterly exhausted. "T-the power... of... Hadou..."  
he muttered as his eyelids grew heavy, "So... that's... it..."  
  
And then he fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
+ + +  
  
Sakura opened her eyes from where she sat in the lotus position on a  
meditation mat. She sighed deeply, knowing that she was probably going  
to have to hire a private tutor for Lan from this day forward... and  
she'd also need to scold him about spying on her during her private  
self-training sessions.  
  
She looked up as she heard the chime of the front door opening, two  
people walking in.  
  
"I take it that sudden surge of power wasn't you, was it?"  
  
She smiled up at the two men, particularly at the taller, fair skinned  
one with long blond hair streaked with gray and clad in a red and black  
business suit, who had been the one to speak. His partner was a  
smaller, yet stockier looking black man, hair done up in dreadlocks and  
dressed in a yellow and black karate gi.  
  
"Hello Ken. Hi Sean," she said, "And no, that wasn't me. What brings  
you two here?"  
  
"I was taking Sean here back from a tournament when I remembered you  
and the kid lived around here and so I decided to check up," Ken  
replied, "So what happened?"  
  
"How'd you do, Sean?" Sakura asked, ignoring Ken for the moment and  
looking at the other man.  
  
"I won," Sean said with a smirk and a thumbs-up before perfectly  
mimicing Ken's concerned look, "So what happened?"  
  
Sakura sighed, looking down at the ground forlornly. "It was Lan..."  
she said.  
  
"... The KID did that?!" Ken exclaimed in surprise, "But... but how?!  
I thought we agreed we wouldn't teach ANYONE those kinds of techniques  
until they were at least old enough to shave!"  
  
"I didn't teach him..." Sakura said.  
  
"Then how..." Ken started to say.  
  
"Please... sit down..." Sakura interrupted, indicating two meditation  
mats near her, "I... need to talk to you about some things."  
  
+ + +  
To Be Continued...  
+ + + 


	2. Chapter 2: Gathering! Preperation for K...

STREET FIGHTER: THE STORY OF LAN  
A Street Fighter Fan fiction  
Written By: Christian "Flashman" Rogers  
Street Fighter and all related characters are Copyright Capcom Inc  
  
+ + +  
Chapter 2: Gathering! Preparation for Knowledge!  
+ + +  
  
"Man oh man..." Sean said as he, Ken and Sakura approached the nurses  
office, "I still can't believe all of this."  
  
Ken replied, "I know the feeling. This IS a bit much to swallow, even  
after all the things I've seen since becoming a Street Fighter."  
  
"I don't exactly want to believe it either," Sakura said, "but... the  
signs are there. We can worry about it later though... we're here."  
  
Sakura knocked at the door, entering as the female voice within bid her  
to do so, Ken and Sean walking in behind her. The nurse inside was an  
older woman, her hair was black (though it was obviously dyed so) and  
wore a red shirt and black skirt, over which was a white lab coat. Ken  
had to stop himself from mentally singing the songs "Hot For Teacher"  
or "Legs" as he looked her over. He knew Eliza would be able to sense  
his wandering eye even from an ocean away and give him hell for it upon  
his return home.  
  
"Kyoko," Sakura said, "It's good to see you again. How's Lan doing?"  
  
"He's sleeping right now," Kyoko replied, picking up a clipboard, "The  
poor little fellow just exhausted himself with... whatever happened to  
him. It's strange, I didn't think you could start throwing fireballs  
until you were in junior high school."  
  
Sakura chuckled a little, memories of the past filling her for a moment  
before the worries of the present drew her back. "Can we watch over  
him then?" she asked.  
  
"Of course," Kyoko said, looking at the two men with Sakura, "And you  
would be..."  
  
"Ken," Ken replied, "Ken Masters. I'm Lan's Godfather."  
  
"Name's Sean," Sean added, jerking a thumb to point at his chest, "I'm  
a friend of the family."  
  
Kyoko nodded in understanding, leading the three to a curtain enclosed  
area, pulling the curtain back just enough to allow them to enter and  
as she passed Kyoko whispered to Sakura, "Don't worry. Hideo and I are  
trying to find a way to explain this away so that he can stay and not  
be bothered if he wishes to."  
  
Sakura nodded off-handily as Kyoko left and closed the curtain behind  
them. Lying on the bed in the enclosed area, was Lan, eyes closed as  
his chest rose and fell from his quiet breathing.  
  
Sakura sighed and walked over to the bed side, reaching a hand down to  
brush some of Lan's hair out of the way of his sleeping face. "He's so  
young..." she said, voice shaking, "Why did this have to happen now?"  
  
"He's your son alright," Ken said with a smile, "A natural prodigy at  
these kinds of things."  
  
"Sometimes I wish he wasn't," Sakura replied, "I could enjoy a good  
fight, still do sometimes, but... there was always a limit for me, a  
point where I decided that I didn't want to pass. I couldn't commit  
myself fully to the Fight like Ryu could. I just worry... what if he  
decides to take that kind of life before he's ready for it? I won't  
be able to follow him."  
  
Sean pursed his lips together into a thoughtful frown as he looked at  
the scene in front of him. He was not familiar with the details that  
had lead to Lan's birth, it seemed to be something Sakura did not like  
talking about with anyone, even Ken. He had even met Ryu himself a few  
times before, mostly during the incidents with Gill, and Ryu had not  
seemed to be the kind of guy to get distracted from his dedication to  
perfecting his Fight for anything.  
  
He kept from asking his questions however, as Lan stirred on the bed  
and, with a slight groan, he opened his eyes. Lan looked up from where  
he lay and croaked out, "Mother... you're really here."  
  
Sakura suddenly let out a sob and wrapped her arms around the small boy  
as he began sitting up, tears coming out of her eyes as she shook with  
the force of her crying. Lan hugged back, making soft comforting  
sounds as he looked up and noticed the other visitors. "Uncle Ken,"  
he said with a soft smile, "Sean. It's good to see you again."  
  
"Hey kid," Sean replied with a small wave of his hand.  
  
"Awww," Ken said with mock dejection, "No 'Unca Keen'? You don't call  
me that anymore."  
  
"I never called you that," Lan replied, his face scrunching up in  
confusion as his mother let him go, furiously wiping her eyes in both  
relief and embarrassment, "Did I?"  
  
Ken sighed and shook his head, "No. You didn't. As literal as  
always. Just like your father."  
  
Lan looked down at the sheets, expression unreadable as his hair fell  
into his face. "Lan..." Sakura said, placing a hand on her son's  
shoulder he didn't mean anything bad by that."  
  
"I know," Lan replied, "Mother... what happened to me? You've told me  
a little about Hadou before... but I wasn't even trying to use it and  
it just... came to me."  
  
The three older people looked at each other for a moment, exchanging  
glances that gave their opinions on how they should continue. They  
seemed to all be in agreement.  
  
"Well..." Ken said, scratching his head, "You've asked one dozy of a  
question there."  
  
+ + +  
  
The car ride towards home was quiet, Sakura having asked Lan to save  
his questions until she could gather all the needed materials to  
properly explain.  
  
Ken, one hand remaining on the steering wheel, turned on his cellular  
phone with the other and handed it to Sakura. "Mind if I ask who  
you're calling?" Ken asked, eyes still firmly on the road in front of  
him.  
  
"A... friend," Sakura replied, "He has a big piece of the puzzle that I  
trusted him with and now we need it back."  
  
Sakura then dialed in a number, bringing the phone up as she listened  
to it ring a few times before she received an answer from the other  
end. "Hello?" she asked, "Is this the Hibiki School of Saikyo-Ryu?"  
  
Sean yelped in protest as Ken momentarily lost control of the car.  
"DAN?!" the blond fighter asked incredulously, "You trusted something  
big and important with DAN?!"  
  
+ + +  
  
"Yes?" the nervous student asked as he picked up the telephone and  
listened to the female voice on the other end.  
  
"Yes, it is," he replied to the question asked, wincing at the sound  
of screeching tires and the intelligible shout of someone else, male,  
on the other end of the call.  
  
While he waited for the two to finish the conversation they were  
having, he momentarily looked up at what had been holding his attention  
before, wincing at the sight and the continual sounds of wood striking  
flesh.  
  
"I'm sorry," the student said as the female speaker began addressing him  
again, "Could you repeat that? Alright, I'll tell him as soon as  
he's done wi-... Now? I'm not sure that's possible. Master Hibiki is  
kinda... Alright, if you're sure."  
  
+ + +  
  
Dan pulled himself up from the floor, pink gi ruffled, hair disheveled,  
left cheek swollen, right eye blackened, and blood trickling from his  
nose. However, he quickly pumped his forearm as he proclaimed,  
"Alright! I've been nice to you guys but if you don't give up now, I  
WILL be forced to hurt you!"  
  
His opponents were three men he had seen before. All of them, wearing  
the black and green trimmed gis of their school, were students of the  
rival martial arts school two blocks down from his. Like clockwork,  
every tenth day of the month, they would send several of their best to  
challenge the Japanese branch of the school of Saikyo-Ryu.  
  
Dan would never let his students fight, instead he always defended the  
honor of the dojo himself against the invaders all at once...  
  
So far, Dan has replaced the sign outside seven times in as many  
months, with no retaliation of any sort having been made by him or his  
students.  
  
The invading martial artists snickered. "Seems to me the only one  
being hurt so far is you," the leader of the group sneered, twirling  
the bo staff he carried.  
  
The other two, also carrying the same weapon, joined in the mocking  
laughter as they closed in, swinging the staffs at Dan's body. Every  
blow hit home, Dan's reactions too sluggish to properly defend himself.  
Strike after strike crashed into his arms, legs, chest, and stomach.  
He fell to his knees, head bowed to the floor. He could hear the small  
groans from his students and looked up just enough to see his opponents  
moving in to finish him off...  
  
"Master Hibiki?" one of Dan's students called out as he hung up the  
phone, "Your 'Number One Disciple' needs you to bring 'them' now."  
  
The leader of the invaders gawked as Dan suddenly lashed out his hand,  
grabbing the staff and stopping the downward blow towards his left  
temple. The pink-clad warrior smiled up at the first of his opponents,  
who struggled to pull his weapon from the suddenly much stronger grip  
holding it, and said, "Sorry. This is really bad luck for you, but  
I have something important that needs doing! KORYUKEN!"  
  
Dan sprang upwards, fist rising up and crashing into the jaw of the  
first invader. The invader rose upwards as well before crashing to the  
ground, bouncing on the hard, wood floor before lying still. Dan  
looked at the weapon in his hands for a moment before breaking it over  
his knee. He then tossed the pieces aside as he curled his arm at the  
two remaining opponents and taunted, "Who's next to get whipped?!"  
  
The second opponent, slightly rattled by the sudden change in their  
target, rushed forward blindly, staff raised to strike. Dan retaliated  
by jumping forward, his left leg lashing outwards, smashing through the  
staff and into the side of his opponents head.  
  
"DAH!"  
  
As the first kick completed, Dan's right leg smashed into the other  
side of the opponents face.  
  
"DAH!"  
  
In a manner that seemed almost physically impossible, Dan's left leg  
coiled back into place and snapped forward, striking the invader on  
the chin and sending him to the floor, unconscious, while still in mid-  
air.  
  
"SEIYAH!"  
  
The third and final opponent had no time to react as Dan landed from  
his attack and went into a forward roll, his body a whirling ball of  
pink before he leapt to his feet, right hand glowing with energy as he  
slammed it forward, breaking through the hastily raised staff and  
smashing a small ball of energy into his opponent's face.  
  
"GADOKEN!"  
  
The last invader struck the back wall of the dojo and slid down,  
crumpling into a heap on the floor. Dan stood there, breathing softly  
in the suddenly silent dojo. He turned to look at all his students  
before saying, "Everyone go home and think about this. Also, as a  
great man once told me, fighting just for pride is pointless! Find a  
cause to believe in."  
  
He then grinned and flashed everyone a cheerful thumbs-up. The  
students all dropped to one knee and flexed their forearms. "Yes,  
Master," they said.  
  
+ + +  
  
Lan did not pay much attention to the conversations going on around  
him. He only occasionally heard a word or two, mostly Ken's sudden  
exclamation and Sean's complaints about Ken's driving after the car  
swerved due to Ken's shout.  
  
He dimly heard his mother's voice, switching between talking on the  
phone and to Ken. Meanwhile, the majority of his attention was on the  
view outside the window. It was mostly the hard concrete and steel of  
apartment buildings and the flashing neon of business signs. It was  
not anything particularly interesting or new... until they passed by a  
small park.  
  
It was a simple thing, and Lan almost missed it as his body tingled  
with the memory of the Hadou that had filled him only a few hours ago.  
At that moment, his eyes caught hold of the drifting cherry blossoms  
falling from their trees and landing in the small, shimmering pond.  
"Such a peaceful scene..." Lan through as it started to fade into the  
distance as the car drove on, "in-between such Chaos. So beautiful..."  
  
At that moment, the tingling of memory was swiftly replaced by the  
burning of reality.  
  
"Uncle Ken..." he gasped out as the globes of blue light began to swirl  
around him, "Stop... the car."  
  
Ken slammed on the brakes the moment the first globe floated into his  
field of vision, pulling over to the side of the road and flicking on  
the warning lights as Lan fumbled with the door handle, the energy  
growing so quickly in him he could barely focus on what was in front  
of him.  
  
Lan managed to succeed, stumbling out the door as Sean slid backwards  
on the seat, keeping his distance because he was unsure of what he  
should do.  
  
Sakura and Ken quickly popped open their doors, following the glowing  
Lan closely, pushing gawking on-lookers out of the way. Lan did not  
notice any of it. All he could see, feel, and hear was the rush of the  
Hadou as it filled his small body to it's limits. His body lurched  
mechanically, instinctively heading for the park...  
  
Lan made it to within a single block of his goal before he could hold  
it in no longer.  
  
"KKKYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"  
  
The ball of blue energy streaked off from his hands and into the sky.  
Pedestrians ducked in surprise, a small fender bender occurring as a  
rubber necking driver crashed his vehicle into the one in front of him,  
too engrossed by the fireball shooting boy.  
  
"That should be it, right?!" Sean asked, looking at Ken, "Got a few  
stared but he got rid of the energy, right?!"  
  
"He SHOULD have, yes," Ken replied, the hair on the back of his neck  
standing up, "but there's more this time! A LOT more!"  
  
Lan cried out in pain, tears rolled down his face as his hands remained  
extended, the energy gathering once more.  
  
"AAAAAAUUUUGH!"  
  
"GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"  
  
"NNNNGGHHAAAAHHH!"  
  
The energy blasts that lashed out from Lan's hands all were sent  
skyward, the boy staggering on his weakening legs as the Hadou poured  
in faster than he could release it.  
  
Ken and Sean were so mesmerized by the sight they did not notice Sakura  
until she was directly behind her son, jabbing the fingers of her  
right hand down rapidly onto pressure points at the base of Lan's  
neck, then between his shoulder blades and finally at the small of his  
back.  
  
At Sakura's precise touch, the energy within Lan dissipated, leaving a  
few crackling sparks to play across his skin before he pitched forward  
into sleep, energy spent.  
  
Sakura caught him as he fell, taking a moment to check his breathing  
before scooping him up into her arms and looking at Ken and Sean.  
  
"How... What did... Why did..." Sean stammered, eyes wide.  
  
"C'mon," Sakura said, "We need to go NOW! Lan... really needs to know  
everything."  
  
+ + +  
To be continued...  
+ + + 


	3. Chapter 3: Scarlet! The Color of the He...

STREET FIGHTER: THE STORY OF LAN  
A Street Fighter Fan fiction  
Written By: Christian "Flashman" Rogers  
Street Fighter and all related characters are Copyright Capcom Inc  
  
+ + +  
Chapter 3: Scarlet! The Color of the Headband!  
+ + +  
  
Lan's body was lying on his futon. He slept, unmoving, save for the  
rise and fall of his chest from his breathing. Sakura gently pulled a  
blanket over his torso, tucking him in before she brushed some of his  
hair out of his face and lightly kissed him on the forehead.  
  
Her son murmured something incoherently, after the feel of his mother's  
lips left his brow, shifted slightly, and then drifter into what seemed  
to be a deeper sleep.  
  
Sakura stood, walking to the door and looking around Lan's neat and  
sparsely decorated room, observed the small, worn and threadbare stuffed  
beagle that was the only toy Lan had ever wanted. She clicked off the  
light and stepped out of the room, letting only the lowering sunlight  
bathe the room with reddish light as she closed the door behind her.  
  
+ + +  
  
Sean swallowed his fifth glass of water, hands still shaking slightly.  
  
This was beyond the realm of weird the Shotokan disciple had dealt with  
before. Half red, half blue guys saying they were going to be gods  
and kick you butt while wearing a diaper to prove it was one thing...  
  
But a kid not even big enough to reach the cookie jar on the counter  
without a chair to stand on, flinging around energy blasts Sean could  
barely do after years of hard training was quite another.  
  
He was amazed by how... calm, though he was obviously concerned, Ken  
was about all this. It made Sean wonder for a moment if this meant a  
Shotokan fighter would be at his best if he was ready for weird things  
at any time.  
  
Sean and Ken both looked up as Sakura descended the stairs. She looked  
at the two men and raised a hand to pause their comments before they  
could be said. She then walked over to the sandbag, which she had  
repaired earlier in the day by replacing the chain, and...  
  
"HYAH!"  
  
Her clenched fist sunk deeply inwards as it struck the bag, tearing a  
hole in the side. She let some of the sand trickle down her arm before  
she pulled her fist free, looking at the pouring hole.  
  
She shook the sand off her arm as she grumbled, "I'm always telling Lan  
not to do that."  
  
"Feel better?" Ken asked.  
  
"No!" Sakura snapped, "I'm still frustrated, upset, and wishing there  
was just something I could hug or hit to stop all this!"  
  
"I'm still not sure what all this IS," Sean said, scratching his head,  
"You said something before about Lan having this whole 'Perfect Hadou'  
stuff and after what just happened I THINK I get what you mean but...  
damnit, WHAT IS GOING ON?!"  
  
Sakura took a deep breath as Sean completed his rant with a heavy stomp  
of his right foot on the floor. "When Dan gets here," she said, "I'll  
go into more detail with everything."  
  
"Wait no longer, Number One Disciple! Your Master of Masters has  
arrived!"  
  
Ken and Sakura both rolled their eyes, though the blond man's  
expression was more pained compared to the light smile that was on  
Sakura's face. Sean turned to look at the open door, blinking at the  
man in a pink gi, his long, thinning hair pulled back into a pony tail  
(though it did not fully cover the growing bald spot) and a wide smile  
on his face. His left hand was extended in a thumbs up as his right  
helped brace what looked like a big plank of wood with writing on  
it (maybe a dojo sign), that was slung over his shoulder. Near his  
feet, was a knapsack filled with... something.  
  
"So THIS is the guy everyone says I'm like?" Sean thought, "Jeeze,  
yellow's WAY more manly than PINK!"  
  
"Hi Dan," Sakura said, "Been a while. You bring 'em?"  
  
"Yup," Dan replied, "Gimme a sec to put this down..."  
  
It was at that moment that Dan spotted Ken, the sign in his grip  
falling to the floor as he spread his arms wide. "KEN MASTERS!" Dan  
exclaimed happily, "I haven't seen you since we were both training!  
Gimme a HUG!"  
  
"I am DEFINATLY more manly," Sean mentally concluded.  
  
Ken, instead of leaping up to return Dan's enthusiasm, simply looked  
down at the dropped sign and asked, "Where's you get that?"  
  
Dan blinked and lowered his arms, pouting as he replied, "Just making  
sure something minor doesn't get in the way of something important  
enough for my Number One Disciple to need me."  
  
+ + +  
  
Across town, a master and twelve of his best students groaned in pain  
as they suffered from the effects of a pink typhoon.  
  
+ + +  
  
Lan only stayed asleep for two minutes after Sakura left the room.  
He opened his eyes, grogginess competing with his sudden thirst. The  
need for water won out and he crawled out of bed, stumbling with each  
step as he made his way to the kitchen.  
  
As he started to go back after getting a glass of water, sipping at it  
as he went, he stopped by the staircase as he heard the voices from  
downstairs.  
  
"Alright," Sakura said, "Since Lan's still sleeping, I'll need to tell  
him about all this later... but telling you guys now should help you  
understand and help me find the words to tell him."  
  
"The first thing I want to know," Sean said, "is how the heck a kid  
like him gets POWER like that."  
  
"And why does it comes if he doesn't even know the first thing about  
Hadou?" Ken added, "When Ryu and I started using it, we'd at least  
been LECTURED on the basic principals of how it worked and seen  
demonstrations of it in action."  
  
"And why did you need me to bring..." A voice Lan didn't recognize said  
before pausing very overdramatically, "... the books?"  
  
Lan heard his mother sigh and take several deep breaths before she  
spoke.  
  
"I can answer all of that..." she said, "but I need to start at the  
beginning, back when Ryu was still alive..."  
  
+ + +  
  
It was late, close to midnight. The lights of the city burned in the  
night sky as a lone figure walked slowly into town.  
  
Sakura swept the floor of the dojo, which she had only just opened two  
months before. It had been hard work getting the right papers, finding  
a proper building, and checking the neighborhood to see if there would  
be people interested in being students, but it had been paying off  
fairly well so far.  
  
It had been a number of years since her last Street Fighter tournament.  
An incident involving several of the local high schools had taught her  
a valuable lesson, that she needed a reason for fighting. While she  
could still enjoy the thrill of a pure fight, she had found that she  
felt much... stronger when she used her power to help others.  
  
By opening the dojo, she hoped she would be able to help many people  
learn how to protect themselves and others, in turn finding the kind  
of power that made her feel so strong.  
  
She had grown older, no longer a teenager, and had experienced much  
through the remainder of high school and through collage. The  
experiences had changed her, making her wiser, but there had been one  
thing that had not changed.  
  
Through out it all, she had never even considered dating or even just  
looking at men. There would always be only one man that would fill  
her heart.  
  
Ryu.  
  
She had not seen him for a long time, and she wondered why her thoughts  
had suddenly turned to him now, but she knew that she still loved him.  
  
She was pulled out of her dreamy reflections as she heard a knock on  
the front door. Frowning a little, and knowing that the "Closed" sign  
was properly in place, she walked over to the door to shoo whoever it  
was away.  
  
She stopped as she saw who it was, eyes going wide as, standing behind  
the glass door, his gi ruffled and torn, bandages over his left eye,  
his right arm in a sling as his left shakily held his knapsack, his  
right leg in a make-shift splint, and his ribs heavily bandaged, the  
man she had just been thinking about looked at her tiredly.  
  
"RYU!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise as she pulled open the door and  
quickly helped him inside, "What happened?! What are you doing here?!  
Are you okay?!"  
  
Ryu shuffled in, splinted leg dragging along the floor as he entered  
the dojo and dropped into a seat that Sakura offered to him. "Just..."  
he said, "letting my feet take me where they felt was best."  
  
"Ryu..." Sakura said, feeling her throat tightening a little.  
  
She had never seen him like this before. She had seen him injured as  
a result of battles, but never to this extent. She could see that his  
skin near where the bandages covered his eye was an angry red, blisters  
forming around it. She then notices there were similar markings on  
portions of his chest where his gi was ripped away, no, it was BURNED  
away. There were cuts that seemed to have come from razor sharp  
objects that dotted what was visible of his torso as well. There was  
also something else... something in Ryu's whole demeanor that his  
injuries were more than simply physical.  
  
Ryu looked up at the nervous, hovering Sakura and smiled softly.  
"Sorry about dropping in unannounced like this," he said, "but... I  
needed to talk to you... ask your help..."  
  
"... If you need me, I'll be there in an instant," Sakura said quickly.  
  
"It's something more... you may say no when you hear what it is..."  
Ryu said, "Could I have some water please?"  
  
Sakura blinked.  
  
Ryu smiled as he said, "No, that's not it."  
  
Sakura shook her head, smiling a bit as she replied, "Of course."  
  
She quickly raced upstairs, returning shortly with a large glass of  
water, which Ryu quickly downed in one swig. "Thank you," he said,  
closing his eyes for a moment, "And actually, now that I think about  
it, I think I may need several things from you."  
  
Sakura nodded, taking a chair and sitting down, resting her chin on  
her hands as she said, "Go ahead."  
  
"I was fighting someone," Ryu began, "His name was Gill. He was  
strong. Stronger than Sagat. Stronger than Bison. He thought he was  
some kind of new god. I fought him, of course."  
  
Sakura looked Ryu's battered body over. "Did you win?" she asked  
nervously.  
  
"Yes," Ryu replied, "Barely. But... during the fight I... FELT  
something. Something I had never felt before. I didn't know what it  
was until afterwards... when Akuma showed up."  
  
"Akuma?!" Sakura asked, "He's still alive?!"  
  
"Yes," Ryu said, one visible eye narrowing, "He said to me, 'You have  
done it. You, like I, have reached the maximum potential of your  
Fight. Now, it shall be time for our final battle.'"  
  
"You didn't BELIEVE him, did you?" Sakura asked incredulously.  
  
"No," Ryu said, "Not from his words. That was the feeling I had when  
fighting Gill. I... have gone beyond even what I can achieve going  
past my limits and can go no further. I can grow no stronger or learn  
anything deeper."  
  
"Ryu..." Sakura started, stopping as Ryu raised his hand slightly.  
  
"Please let me finish before you try to convince me otherwise," Ryu  
said, "I'm not saying you couldn't. Perhaps you'd even be right...  
but... feeling as I do now, I have realized that I have done a great  
wrong and wasted something Gouken had given to me to accomplish. His  
greatest wish."  
  
Sakura looked at Ryu uncomprehendingly as he nodded to his dropped  
knapsack. "Open it," he said, "And take out the scrolls inside."  
  
Sakura did as asked, taking out the worn, aged rolls of paper. She  
carefully opened one, not wanting to damage it, and looked at the  
contents.  
  
She blinked in surprise as, giving a quick scan to the words and  
illustrations that were within, she could see what were very obviously  
lessons about how to properly perform many variations of a Shoryuken,  
Tatsumakisempukyaku, and various other techniques of the Shotokan  
style.  
  
"It is the responsibility of the chosen student to pass those scrolls  
down," Ryu said, "From one generation to the next. Each owner of the  
scrolls must, when the time comes, refresh the old lessons onto new  
scrolls. When he is done with that, he must then write down anything  
he has learned that is new. Technique, philosophy, anything of  
value to furthering the art of Shotokan."  
  
Ryu took a deep breath, coughing slightly before continuing, "The time  
has come for me to restore the lessons of old, as well as to pass on  
what I have learned. Sakura... I wish for you to be the next keeper of  
these scrolls."  
  
Sakura's eyes became as wide as saucers, mouth dropping open and  
hanging that way for a few moments before she managed to find her  
voice. "I... I..." she said, "I would be so HONORED... but... why me?  
I mean... Ken would be better for something like this..."  
  
Ryu smiled sadly as he replied, "The scrolls can not be passed between  
the same generation, unless the protector has died before passing it  
on. It's the tradition. Perhaps, someday, Ken would be able to  
explain his unique techniques to you so that you could write them  
down... but, in honor of Gouken's memory, I can not give him the  
scrolls to use directly."  
  
Sakura nodded softly as she said, "I understand... and like I said...  
I am very honored that you think I deserve something like this..."  
  
"You're entirely self taught," Ryu replied, "Even after I was no longer  
a simple beginner, I never gave you the lessons you desired. I... may  
have even forgotten you for a time."  
  
Sakura winced slightly. Yet, at the same time, she felt comforted by  
his honesty.  
  
"But," Ryu continued, "Instead of giving up, you found your own way.  
You discovered your great inner strength and brought it out. The  
techniques you've developed are both effective and unique, and they  
would be a great addition to the tradition of Shotokan. Still... I  
regret never giving you even one lesson. I... feel like I regret many  
things, now that I have time to reflect before it is time."  
  
"... When will you fight Akuma again?" Sakura asked, Ryu's words  
causing a tingle to run up her spine.  
  
"When I have both healed and finished with the scrolls," Ryu replied,  
"He will not leave his island and he will wait for me as long as  
necessary. He, as the Master of Fists of the art of the Dark Hadou,  
has his own scrolls to care for and transcribe."  
  
The injured warrior then shifted in his seat, adjusting some of his  
bandages and said, "If I win the fight... Sakura, I want you to become  
guardian of his scrolls as well."  
  
Sakura recoiled momentarily at the implication of Ryu's words. The  
upcoming fight with Akuma would really be their final duel.  
Eventually, she nodded slowly. "I understand," she said, "and  
please... feel free to stay here to heal and write for as long as you  
want."  
  
"Thank you," Ryu replied, "The path of the Fight can sometimes be very  
lonely... and I do not wish for loneliness right now."  
  
+ + +  
  
Time passed. A week turned into a month. A month turned into two  
months. Ryu first attended to his body, making sure the bones and  
flesh healed as best they could as Sakura watched over him, helping  
where she could. Occasionally, Ryu would watch Sakura as she taught  
her classes. As he began truly healing, he would occasionally help  
out as an assistant, using it as an excuse to help his body remain  
sharp for when the time came.  
  
Once the healing process was complete, he then moved onto the scrolls.  
He wrote as much as he could, Sakura providing him with food and  
conversation to keep his mind refreshed from the intense monotony of  
the task.  
  
One night, Ryu was finishing up copying the first scroll, which was the  
most detailed of the five, as it contained much of the intense  
philosophy that a warrior of Shotokan was asked to follow, as well as  
notes about it's history and several legends that surrounded the art.  
Sakura leaned over his shoulder to watch and silently read along with  
the words he wrote. His hand suddenly spasmed from a cramp and the pen  
he was writing with fell from his hand.  
  
"Here," Sakura began as she reached out for the pen, "Let m--"  
  
She stopped as Ryu reached his hand out at the same time, causing her  
hand to land on top of his. They both paused, looking at where their  
hands touched silently. Sakura's stomach felt as if an entire nest of  
butterflies had hatched all at once and were fluttering around for  
freedom. She turned her head and suddenly realized just how close her  
face was to Ryu's. His expression seemed slightly embarrassed, a red  
tint evident on his cheeks, and Sakura wondered if he was feeling the  
same way she was.  
  
"... Ryu?" Sakura asked, "Do you remember the time you told me about  
having regrets about the path you've followed?"  
  
Ryu nodded slowly.  
  
"... I have regrets too," Sakura continued, "Regrets about... certain  
things. Opportunities missed. Wondering what would have happened if I  
had just gone on and gotten over... certain feelings. Do... Do you  
understand what I mean?"  
  
Ryu nodded slowly once more. His hand suddenly shifted, moving around  
to that it held Sakura's instead of resting under it. "Yes," he said,  
"I... think I do. I... have never really thought of such things  
before. Ever."  
  
Sakura felt her heart leap into her throat at the gentle feeling of  
Ryu's hand taking hers. She heard the words he spoke and a part of her  
tried to say that it meant he was just being kind and not showing any  
real interest.  
  
"But..." Ryu continued, "I suppose... that is something I regret as  
well."  
  
Sakura leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips. Ryu started a  
little, surprised by the action. He did not resist however, and came  
to the sudden realization that this was his first kiss.  
  
Sakura pulled back a little, face flushed. "Then maybe," she said in a  
whisper, "we can ease both our regrets."  
  
"... Sakura..." Ryu said, after taking a moment to find his voice,  
"This is... important... I... I do not wish to trouble you with my...  
desperation..."  
  
"It's not desperation," Sakura said, feeling a sudden strength well up  
within her, "It's... completion. I would have waited forever for  
you... maybe it was meant to be this way."  
  
"... Perhaps..." Ryu replied, though there was sadness in his eyes as  
he spoke that word.  
  
"I'll only go as far as you'll let me, Ryu," Sakura said.  
  
Ryu nodded, his hand gently squeezing hers before their lips came  
together again.  
  
That night, as well as several others, they went far.  
  
+ + +  
  
"... And that is all that YOU need to know about that," Sakura  
concluded.  
  
Ken, Dan and Sean all nodded, dreamy smiles on their faces.  
  
Lan leaned against the wall upstairs, feeling a tightness in his  
throat and a sudden quivering of his lower lip.  
  
"So that's where Lan came from, eh?" Dan asked with a sigh.  
  
Sakura blushed as, from his hiding place, Lan blinked in confusion, sad  
feelings fading as he wondered what Dan meant.  
  
"Still..." Sakura said once she'd gotten the redness of her face under  
control, "He left me an important responsibility. One I haven't backed  
away from. With the scrolls and the ones I got from Akuma after... the  
fight, I was able to perfect the normal Shotokan skills I have, as well  
as help me further develop my unique skills and... they've also given  
me information that's relevant to all that's been happening lately."  
  
"Is that what the books you gave me are?" Dan asked, pulling out twelve  
notebooks from the knapsack he had brought with him.  
  
Sakura blinked as she said, "You never read them? Not even in  
curiosity?"  
  
Dan smirked as he replied, "Well, if my Number One Disciple tells me  
that I should just look after something and not look IN something,  
that's just what I'll do! Besides, a Saikyo-Ryu Master has the  
strength to resist temptation!"  
  
Dan shook his forearm as Ken rolled his eyes again and said, "Be that  
as it may, I really think it's time for answers."  
  
"Right," Sakura said, taking up a red covered notebook and flipping it  
open, "When I... became the sole owner of the scrolls, I realized that  
I would feel a lot better knowing there would be a back-up, just in  
case something ever happened to my copies, so I transcribed all ten of  
them down onto notebooks and gave them to Dan to safe keeping."  
  
"Why him though?" Ken asked, "I mean, it's not like he's a great master  
of fighting or anything."  
  
"HEY!" Dan objected.  
  
"Maybe not..." Sakura replied.  
  
"Hey..." Dan reiterated, looking hurt.  
  
"BUT," Sakura added, "He DID train with Gouken for a short while, and  
his style IS based heavily off Shotokan, so he has the right. Plus...  
well, no offence Ken, but if someone was looking for this information  
directly, they'd know you'd be the first place to look for it."  
  
"I get it!" Sean said, snapping his fingers, "And nobody would think  
Danny-boy here would EVER have a reason to have anything important!"  
  
"HEY!" Dan objected once more, now slightly angry.  
  
"Well," Sakura added, "He's also really trustworthy, despite his  
goofiness."  
  
"HE-- Oh, thank you," Dan said, stopping in mid-exclamation and rubbing  
the back of his head.  
  
"I guess I understand..." Ken said, a sadness coloring his voice.  
  
Sakura patted him on the shoulder lightly before looking back down at  
the words in the notebook she held.  
  
"Okay..." she said, "right book."  
  
She cleared her throat and then began to read.  
  
"The art of Shotokan was once a killing style. The power of the Dark  
Hadou that one lusting for strength could attain, in combination with  
the Light Hadou one with a peaceful soul could attain, was developed to  
be the perfection of unarmed battle. The highest of Shotokan masters,  
as a result, bears the title, The Master of Fists."  
  
"Yeah yeah," Sean said with a wave of his hand, "We KNOW that already.  
It's the very first thing someone studying Shotokan leans when they're  
moving on to the higher techniques."  
  
"There's more though, isn't there?" Ken said, lips narrowing,  
"Something Gouken never told me but trusted Ryu with."  
  
He had not meant for it to come out as bitter as it had sounded.  
  
Sakura ignored the tone however, and nodded in response to his question  
before continuing.  
  
"What only a few know, however, was that the art of Shotokan was not  
developed by man alone. Gouichi, the first Master of Fists, was taught  
his art by the God Dragon Shen Long, as a means of defending humanity  
from the fits and rages of greater powers. An art with the strength to  
slay Gods and Demons alike. This is why the Master of Fists bears the  
mark of 'Heaven' on his back."  
  
"'You must defeat Shen Long to stand a chance'," Ken muttered.  
  
"Huh?" The others asked simultaneously.  
  
"It's something Ryu used to say when someone he was fighting would  
get nasty and asked how a style so 'pathetic' could beat whatever they  
were using," Ken replied, "I guess he was making a private joke."  
  
"... I don't get it," Dan said.  
  
Sakura went back to reading.  
  
"As the age of Gods and Demons moving openly in the world of man began  
to end, Shen Long, before he and the other Gods Ascended to the next  
realm, left a prophecy.  
  
"'In time, there will come a True Master of Shotokan. Born of two  
warriors, he shall be blessed with the knowledge of all who have passed  
before, his skills unequaled. He will journey out on a quest for  
knowledge and the mark of the Master of Fists will appear before his  
eleventh year, shortly after the full power of the earth, the Perfect  
Hadou, awakens within him.'"  
  
"... Alright," Sean said, "I'm getting creped out now."  
  
"Does it say anything about what this 'Master' is supposed to do?" Ken  
asked, skepticism coloring his voice, "And just what IS this 'Perfect  
Hadou'? I get the feeling that it's something more than just being a  
lot of brute strength all at once."  
  
"The scrolls are... unclear on that," Sakura replied, putting the book  
down, "All I could really find was something saying that many of  
Gouichi's students traveled all over the world, spreading the skills of  
Shotokan and searching for the 'Perfect Hadou'. Apparently, no one  
found it."  
  
"Until now... maybe," Dan added.  
  
"I don't know..." Sean said, "It doesn't make sense. Why Lan? I still  
think he's just a natural prodigy like you, Sakura, and he's just  
somehow accidentally found the right... mindset to let the Hadou flow in."  
  
"Sean, it doesn't work like that," Ken said, "All four of us had  
experienced the existence of Hadou before we tried to use it ourselves.  
For me, it came in a moment where I desperately needed it. For Sakura,  
her determination to be like Ryu gave her access. For you, it was your  
desire to use your strength well. For Dan..."  
  
"To be the strongest," Dan said, narrowing his eyes, "because Saikyo-Ryu  
will be number one."  
  
"... Which is why his is the weakest," Ken concluded.  
  
"HEY!" Dan objected.  
  
"Lan just..." Ken continued, "seems able to call it and not control it.  
Controlling power like that... involves something from within that can't  
be taught by words."  
  
Sakura nodded as she added, "The scrolls pretty much say the same thing.  
They can teach someone how to attain the power, but control... that is  
something that only the person themselves can do."  
  
"I... really wish Dhalsim was still alive," Ken said, "He helped both me  
and Ryu learn a good deal about the power of Hadou and he paved the way  
for how we would be able to learn that control."  
  
"... Dhalsim's dead?" Sakura asked, eyes widening.  
  
Ken nodded sadly as he said, "He was one of Gill's first victims."  
  
Sakura and Dan both lowered their heads for a moment, shutting their  
eyes as a momentary feeling of sadness passed through them.  
  
"What about Oro?" Sean added, trying to lift the mood up slightly, "He's  
a smart guy and I remember him helping all of us learn how to control  
our powers better when we were getting ready to fight Gill."  
  
"Oro?" Dan and Sakura asked in unison, blinking.  
  
"An old, one-armed hermit," Ken answered, "That's the problem though.  
He wonders around a lot and goes to places where he doesn't want to be  
found. And even if we DID somehow locate him, there's no guarantee he'd  
want to help. Hermits aren't really known for being friendly and Oro  
wasn't the kind of guy to go against type."  
  
Sakura slammed her fist on the floor. "DAMNIT!" She exclaimed, "What we  
need is... SOMETHING... someone who might know a way to at least try and  
BEGIN helping Lan control the power. If we can't... I don't want to  
think what would happen if my little baby hurt himself... or someone  
else..."  
  
Lan shifted uncomfortably upstairs, the possibility making him nervous  
as well.  
  
"... Wait," Dan said, "I just remembered something I got yesterday...  
I was actually going to call you to talk about it, Sakura, but I got a  
bit distracted and... yeah... THAT'S IT!"  
  
Dan jumped to his feet and shook his forearm in triumph, the others  
jumping slightly at the enthused exclamation of the pink-clad fighter.  
"What is?" Ken asked in confusion.  
  
"Well," Dan replied, the smirk on his face wide and true, "So far, all  
we've had to go on for clues about all this are the scrolls, right? And  
didn't you just say that a part of that whole prophecy was that there  
needed to be a 'quest for knowledge'? I think I know someone who may  
have found something that would qualify as the kind of knowledge we  
could be looking for!"  
  
"Who?" Sakura asked, doing her best to remain seated in her own  
eagerness.  
  
"Jimmy!" Dan said as he flashed Sakura a hearty thumbs-up.  
  
Sakura's face fell into a frown as Ken and Sean shared a puzzled glance.  
"Jimmy?" they both asked at the same time.  
  
"You'd both know him better as Blanka," Sakura replied before looking at  
Dan, "And doesn't he live in Brazil?"  
  
"Wait... Blanka?" Ken asked, "The green, ape-monster, berserker thing?!"  
  
Dan's face took on a serious, angry glare as he said, "JIMMY is NOT a  
monster! You must have only seen him during the time those Shadowlaw  
BASTARDS were turning him into their little attack pet for their  
blood sport clubs!"  
  
"Jimmy really is a kind, gentle soul," Sakura added, "We were able to  
rescue him and, with some effort, most of it Dan's, we were able to  
bring him back to his real self."  
  
With a sigh, Sakura continued, "But he still lives in Brazil and what  
does he have that could help us?"  
  
Dan reached into his gi, ruffling around for a moment before pulling out  
a sheet of folded up paper. "Remember that time you just mentioned?"  
he asked, "When we were helping him recover? Well, I also helped him  
get better at reading and writing and he and I have been sending each  
other letters ever since."  
  
"So?" Ken asked.  
  
"SO," Dan continued, "Yesterday, I got a letter from him saying he found  
some REALLY interesting ruins really deep in the rain forest, even older  
than the Inca stuff he runs across sometimes, and some big stone slabs  
there had pictures like these drawn on them."  
  
Dan unfolded the paper and the others gathered around, looking at what  
appeared to be several tracings of a man standing in various battle  
stances.  
  
"Sooooooo..." Sean asked, "Does this have a point or something?"  
  
Sean stopped in mid-nose thumbing as Ken placed a hand on his shoulder  
and asked, "Don't you recognize those stances? That's DEFINATLY  
Shotokan."  
  
"Shotokan?! In ancient Brazil?!" Sean asked, "That makes no sense!"  
  
"I agree..." Sakura said, "but the scrolls DID say that Gouichi's  
students went all over the world... and Jimmy wouldn't lie about  
something like this. If he found these, they're out there."  
  
"Still..." Sean said, "Brazil ain't exactly like a trip across town to  
another dojo... Who would go? And how would we get there?"  
  
"The second part is no problem, if we do go through with it," Ken said,  
"I can get tickets easy."  
  
"And I'd go because Jimmy knows me and I can translate," Dan added.  
  
"You'd go too, Sean," Ken said with a light slap to his student's back,  
"A trip like this would be excellent training. I'd go too, but Eliza  
would be made enough for her to ask Mel to perform his Special Punch on  
me if I ran off on another big trip so soon."  
  
"I want to go too..."  
  
The group turned as one to look towards the stairs, where Lan stood on  
the bottom step. "Lan," Sakura said, getting to her feet and going over  
to him, "You should be in bed! You need to rest after today!"  
  
"Mother," Lan replied softly, "I heard you talking... all of it. I...  
need to go."  
  
"NO!" Sakura exclaimed, dropping to her knees and placing her hands on  
his shoulders, "Absolutely NOT!"  
  
"I need to know..." Lan said, "You could come too. Uncle Ken could buy  
enough tickets."  
  
"No, I can't," Sakura said with a shake of her head, "There are classes  
to run and bills to pay... I can't just run off on a carefree adventure  
anymore."  
  
"Mother..." Lan said, "This is something I need to do. I... need to  
learn..."  
  
"We can do that HERE!" Sakura said, "Or let the others go and send the  
information back! You don't have to leave! You can't leave!"  
  
"But what if the scrolls are right?" Lan replied, "If they are... then  
the only way for me to learn... is to go..."  
  
"Lan, you're only ten years old!" Sakura exclaimed, tears shimmering in  
her eyes, "You're not supposed to want to be independent and go off on  
your own things until you're fourteen! You're a CHILD!"  
  
"I'm a child," Lan said, reaching out a hand to wipe away the two lone  
tears that had fallen during Sakura's speech, "but I can't act like one.  
If I don't learn what I can... get strong and smart enough to control the  
Hadou... I could hurt someone. Bad. Maybe... when I do have what I  
need... maybe then..."  
  
Sakura sobbed, tears and weeping coming out fully as she tightly  
embraced her son. "My own little Monkey King," she said between heaving  
breaths, "On his Journey to the West."  
  
Lan hugged his mother back as she looked up at the other men. "Ken,  
Dan, Sean," she said, her red-rimmed eyes narrowing, "If he comes back  
with so much as a scratch on him, I will beat all of you so hard you'll  
never be able to practice Martial Arts ever again."  
  
The three men were suitably intimidated as they stepped backwards.  
  
Sakura looked back down to Lan, reaching out and brushing some of his  
hair out of his eyes. "That keeps getting in the way," she said before  
standing up, "Wait right here."  
  
Sakura walked upstairs, the others watching her go and then listening to  
the sound of her footsteps as she traveled to a certain place, the  
sound of some drawer being opened following. For a few seconds there  
was silence and then the footsteps headed back for the stairs, Sakura  
returning with her hands held behind her back. "Turn around," she said  
to Lan, a smile on her face.  
  
Lan did as asked, standing perfectly still as his mother kneeled behind  
him and, after pulling the hair back from his forehead, she carefully  
pulled a red headband across, making sure it was tight in the front,  
holding the hair back over his forehead and out of his eyes, before  
tying it with a solid knot at the back, two long strands trailing out  
behind it.  
  
"Hey," Ken said, starting a little, "isn't that..."  
  
Sakura looked up at him and nodded. Ken smiled sadly as he said, "I  
can't think of a better place for it to go."  
  
Lan reached up, running his fingers over the cloth of the headband  
before looking up at Sakura, his eyes questioning. "This belonged to  
your father," Sakura said.  
  
"Father..." Lan said to himself, a single tear escaping his eye before  
he and his mother embraced each other once again.  
  
Dan and Sean both sniffled, Sean trying to hide his eye wiping with  
quick flicks of his thumb as Dan simply stood, arms stiffly at his side  
as the tears flowed down his cheeks.  
  
Ken watched the scene, sad smile still in place. "He looks just like  
him now," Ken thought, "Ryu..."  
  
+ + +  
To be continued...  
+ + + 


End file.
